NEW YORK–Queens College will be among the initial
participants in a “Green Zones” demonstration program by the New York
Power Authority (NYPA) to encourage the use of electric vehicles (EVs)
and other emerging technologies for cleaner air.

“The ‘Green Zones’ program will improve air quality
by substituting environmentally cleaner electric-drive vehicles and
electric outdoor power equipment for conventional vehicles and
equipment,” said Eugene W. Zeltmann, NYPA president and chief executive
officer. “We’re looking forward to working with Queens College and the
other program participants as we forge ahead in our statewide efforts to
introduce new clean technologies that also reduce foreign oil
dependence.”

Queens College, located on a 77-acre campus in
Flushing, will receive three GEM (Global Electric Motor) neighborhood
electric vehicles and one Taylor Dunn Electruck, an off-road electric
work vehicle.

“Electric vehicles makes great sense for low-speed
designated areas like college campuses,” said James L. Muyskens, Queens
College president. “They’re a practical, economic solution for improving
air quality, and we’re looking forward to working with the New York
Power Authority to demonstrate them at our campus.”

Every six months, Queens College and the other
participants will provide NYPA with recorded mileage and other
performance data for the new purchases.

Under the multiyear Green Zones program, NYPA will
co-fund the purchase of the electric and hybrid-electric vehicles and
outdoor equipment to replace standard vehicles and equipment at areas
such as college campuses and parks. It has budgeted for 2005 more than
$200,000 for this purpose.

As examples of its funding, NYPA will pay the higher
incremental cost, up to $4,000, for hybrid-electric vehicles, and half
the cost of off-road electric vehicles and electric power equipment like
lawn mowers. (Gasoline-powered lawn equipment is a potent—and often
unregulated—source of pollution.) The Power Authority will also provide
for the electric-vehicle charging stations.

Queens College earned additional funds to purchase
the electric vehicles by participating over the last two years in NYPA’s
Peak Load Management program—an initiative for reducing electricity use
during the air-conditioning season. “By participating, we were able to
save energy when it was most needed in the region,” said Basil Bascetta,
the college’s chief administrative superintendent. “Of course, we’re
part of the program again this summer.” (Participants are paid $40 for
each kilowatt they commit to reduce when called upon.)

In addition to Queens College, the other
organizations that have signed on to the Green Zones program are the
Hudson River Park Trust, Bronx Community College, the White Plains
Recreation and Parks Department, the Utica Department of Parks and
Recreation, Bethpage State Park, and the Niagara Reservation State Park.

In the last decade, the Power Authority has helped
put a total of 750 electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in service, for
its own fleet and those of its electricity customers and other entities.
Collectively, the vehicles, which range from three-wheel parking
enforcement vehicles to full-size transit buses, have traveled more than
four million miles.

Gov. George E. Pataki has directed that half of all
non-emergency, light-duty vehicles acquired by state agencies and other
affected entities be alternative-fueled by 2005. His Executive Order
increases the amount to 100 percent by 2010